Kenny Rogers may be over 70, but he’s not slowing down. Over the weekend, Rogers showed up at both of the region’s major music festivals.

Rogers played four songs for a sold-out crowd at LP Field on Saturday night during the CMA Music Festival, and then high-tailed it to Manchester, Tenn., for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on Sunday.

Before his set on Sunday, Rogers told Fuse.tv that he was “thrilled to be here,” but “out of his comfort zone.”

“I think that’s good,” he explains. “I think you have to step out of your comfort zone to grow.”

“The Gambler” singer seemed to be over his jitters by the time he stepped on stage. He cracked jokes with the crowd about his age, their singing ability, and his somewhat randomness at the largely rock festival.

“What’s wrong with this picture?” the singer asked at the beginning of his set. “But I belong here. Know how I know? I have a bracelet.”

He even had a surprise for the audience. Rogers’ longtime friend and international singing star Lionel Richie walked out during the show and performed “Lady,” as well as a solo version of his hit “All Night Long.” (“Lady” is featured on Richie’s country duets project, Tuskegee, which is the best-selling album released this year.)

Later that night, it was Rogers who served as the surprise. He showed up during Phish’s set on the main stage and performed “The Gambler” amidst chants of “Kenny, Kenny.”

“I’m probably having the best time of my life,” Richie said leading up to the album’s release. “I spent the first half of my life trying to be Lionel Richie, and I made a promise to myself that I was going to enjoy the second half of this because (it’s hard) to survive this business. The second reason I’m working so hard is because I have kids that … missed the 80s and they don’t know what the heck I do for a living.”

Click to see a gallery of images from 'ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert' on April 2, 2012 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jeff Bottari)

Due to what his New York-based publicist calls “some personal scheduling conflicts,” Lionel Richie will no longer appear in ABC’s new singing competition Duets.

John Legend will take Richie’s place alongside fellow celebrity judges Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, and Robin Thicke on the show, which sends the stars across the country in search of duet partners. The singers and their protégés will perform weekly in front of a live studio audience, and the winning duet partner will receive a recording contract with Hollywood Records.

“I’m thrilled to be part of ‘Duets’ and I’m looking forward to finding an undiscovered gem out there. This is going be a lot of fun,” said Legend.

Lionel Richie (photo: submitted). Click the picture to see a photo gallery of Richie's duet partners.

Lionel Richie’s country duet’s project Tuskegee topped the Billboard Top 200 albums chart this week and is in the No. 1 position on the Billboard Country Albums chart for a second week.

The album was released on March 26 and has sold 422,856 copies to date, enough to make him the best-selling debut of any country artist this year.

“I love the feeling,” Richie said in a statement. “You cannot beat the feeling of sitting on top of the charts. I had almost forgotten what it feels like, but now that I am there, I know exactly what it feels like. It feels great. It is really a very exciting time and I am enjoying the ride.”

Former neighbors and ‘80s icons Madonna and Lionel Richie shared more than the top two spots the Billboard 200 this week – they also shared some love and memories on Twitter.

Madonna landed in the top spot with MDNA, selling 359,000 copies in its first week. Richie’s country duets album Tuskegee was second with around 200,000 copies sold.

Madonna tweeted first: "Congrats on a successful record. To the other Richie in my life."

Lionel Richie

"What's going on family?” Richie replied. “Can you believe we are sitting on the top of the charts together again? There is no one I would rather be on top with. Congratulations!! I am so happy for you."

Click to see a gallery of images from 'ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert' on April 2, 2012 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jeff Bottari)

Lionel Richie’s country duets project Tuskegee debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart this week, selling 198,892 copies. Sales were high enough to also land Richie in the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Top 200, right behind Madonna.

Tuskegee, a 13-song collection featuring Richie performing his hits alongside country’s biggest stars including Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Jason Aldean, is the best-selling debut by any country artist this year and is Richie’s highest charting album since 1986.

“I am ecstatic,” Richie said in a statement. “These songs are like my children, so I am overwhelmed that they are being embraced by several generations of music lovers. I am so grateful to all of my duet partners for bringing their own distinctive styles and personalities to this album and interpreting these songs in fresh new ways."

“It’s an incredible experience to be in the studio alongside someone you’ve always looked up to and wanted to meet, much less had the chance to collaborate with on a record,” says Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town. “You put your headphones on and you sing your part and then that voice comes in ... It’s pure magic.”

Richie, who was born in Tuskegee, Ala., in 1949, says the project helped him to reconnect with his Southern roots. It also allowed him to revisit his well-established country flair. The genre is a familiar place for him: In 1980, Kenny Rogers had a hit with the Richie-penned “Lady”; Conway Twitty covered Richie’s group The Commodores’ hit “Three Times a Lady”; Richie crossed over to the country charts in 1984 with “Stuck on You”; and in 1987, Alabama teamed with Richie to make his song “Deep River Woman” a Top 10 country hit.

But Richie’s fondness for Nashville these days goes deeper. The singer walked into a localrecording studio to work on Tuskegee and immediately recognized players that contributed to his early recordings, including “Penny Lover” and “All Night Long (All Night).”

“I said, ‘I thought you had retired,’ ” recalls the singer, who has sold more than 100 million albums as a member of The Commodores and as a solo artist. One member responded, “No, I just moved to Nashville.”